The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the board voted late Monday to end Gutierrez's contract before it was scheduled to expire June 2013.

The move followed a closed-door session that lasted more than two hours.

Last spring, Gutierrez came under fire from new board members after Lynn Vanderlinden, the district's director of assessment and accountability, released a questionable report detailing increases in student proficiency.

Critics said Gutierrez asked Vanderlinden to rig the report to play up increases without taking into account data on students whose proficiency actually decreased.

Gutierrez's contract had an annual salary of about $115,000. She has worked for the district since the mid-1980s and served as superintendent for nearly four years.